Livelihood
by AParselmouthsPatronous
Summary: 5th in FLALOAF series, please read them first! So this is it! It's finally here! The day of new life! And...death? WARNING - Character Death
1. New Lives

**AN - hello again! why did no-one remind me! i completely forgot! thank you so much to guest reviewer K. G. S. for reminding me! All the awards to you! however, before you're to thankful for me posting, i'd read the chapter first... Oh, also, this one's multi-chap! only two or three, but reguardless, i'll see you next Thursday anyway! Yay! :D**

**Disclaimer - Not Mine! :D**

* * *

_Merlin_

"It won't be long now." I told her, grinning. "Only two months! And you know how excited Arthur is…"

Freya sighed. "Yes Merlin, and it _is_ very exciting, but _you're_ not the one who's had to carry them around for seven months already!" I started laughing, and moments later, she joined in.

"Besides," she added "Gwen's due any day now, but, like you said, we've got another two months to wait." she smiled. "Of course, he's excited, but he's also very worried." she reminded me, and I nodded.

"Yes, I know, especially after what happened to his mother." I sighed, before adding. "That's why I'm going to be there, helping as much as I can."

She smiled and lent across to me carefully, kissing me on the cheek. "Just another of the reasons why I love you so much, Merlin."

* * *

Two days later, while I was eating lunch with Freya, I got the call from Arthur.

'Merlin, it's happening! Get over here!" The frantic voice of Arthur came in my head, and I grinned.

"It's time." I told her. "I need to…" she smiled and nodded. "Of course. Get going." a small pause "I love you." I turned back to her, almost out of the door by now.

"I love you too." I smiled, before it failed slightly, seeing Freya shift slightly in her seat, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Are you okay?" I asked her worriedly, and she looked up, not having realised I was still there, and smiled at me.

"Yes, I'm fine. Now go, go on, or Arthur will wonder where you are." she told me, still smiling, and with one final worried look, I left, ready to help Arthur and Gwen however I could.

* * *

"So it's started?" I asked, walking into Gwen and Arthur's rooms, to find Gaius already in there. Arthur nodded.

"Yes, about six hours ago, although Gaius told me you wouldn't be needed until now." I nodded in affirmation of what he'd said, before walking over to Gwen, who was lying on the bed, eyes closed. I took her hand to let her know I was there, and she opened them and smiled up at me.

"Hi." I told her, reaching down to place the amulet Gwaine had made around her neck, the one I'd had trouble making (something our brothers still found hilarious, and Gwaine still found embarrassing) in order to try and reduce some of the pain she would feel. The relief was almost instantly visible on her face.

"Thanks." she whispered, and I smiled, before walking back over to Arthur.

"It's all going fine." I told him before he could ask.

"In that case, I'll leave you." Gaius told us, and we nodded. As was the normal practice, Arthur and Gwen would have a midwife to deliver the child rather than Gaius, although I'd stay in the room in case something should go wrong, just far enough away that I wouldn't be in their way.

A couple of hours later, the midwife arrived, apologising profusely for being late, which Arthur waved off anxiously. She was a large, bustling woman, with a round face and smiling eyes. She quickly checked Gwen over, and confirmed that she was still doing fine, before coming over to talk to us.

"You do realise that neither of you can be in here when the child is born?" she asked us, and I shot a look at Arthur, before stepping forward.

"The King has asked me to be here in case anything should go wrong. I will remain out of you way otherwise, but make no mistake, I _will_ be here." I told her, drawing myself up to my full height, and she hesitated slightly, before smiling and nodding.

"The King, however…" she told me, and I nodded.

"Absolutely." I agreed. "He'll remain well out of the way." I shot him a look as he went to protest, and reluctantly, he closed his mouth again.

As she walked back over to Gwen again, Arthur looked at me irritably.

"Don't start." I warned him, before he could even open his mouth this time. "It's bad enough that even one man's going to be allowed in, but two? And that one of them should be the husband? No. Absolutely no way. It's not happening, Arthur."

He looked at me with shock, and a little amusement, and I rubbed the back of my neck self-consciously.

"Some of the beliefs in Ealdor are…a little fierce, to say the least. This is just one of the ones that was imposed fiercely on me. Just be happy it wasn't something worse." I told him, and he looked at me curiously.

"Such as what?" he asked.

"Such as the belief that you should never rise above your position. That you should be punished for speaking out of turn, even if you believe or know what the other person is doing is wrong." I hesitated slightly, before adding "That you should never hide secrets from a person in a higher position of power or authority. That your parents beliefs should be enforced as your own."

Arthur winced. "Really?" I nodded, and he looked slightly shocked. Before he could say anything else, however, I had changed the subject.

"Since I won't be able to be here later, do you want me to go and find our brothers?" I offered, but he shook his head.

"No, I'll find them." he told me. "I want you here in case something should go wrong." I nodded at his reasoning, and he left to find them.

"That was well reasoned with the King." the midwife's voice came from over near the bed, and I walked over to her.

"It's true." I told her. "I grew up in a place with some very strict superstitions." She nodded.

"So did I, and you told him the right thing." she told me, and I nodded. I decided I liked her, she seemed firm but fair, and had a reassuring presence.

"I'm afraid I don't know your name." I apologised, and she smiled.

"Don't worry about that, Sire, but should it please you to know, my name is Ellie."

"Well, Ellie," I told her. "It would do me the greatest honour if you would come and help me and my wife when our child is born in two months time?" I asked her, and she gasped.

"If you're sure, My Lord, then it would be an honour!" she told me, and I smiled.

"Merlin, please." I told her, and she nodded.

"Merlin."

Over the next half-day, while Arthur was loitering in the hallway with our brothers, inside the room Gwen came closer and closer to giving birth, while Ellie and I talked and checked that she was okay at regular intervals.

Every two hours or so, I would pop outside briefly to inform them all that there was still no change, before quickly popping back inside, much to their frustration.

Finally, however, it was time, and Ellie told Gwen that she could start pushing.

She'd been in quite a bit of pain for several hours now, even with the amulet, and we could both tell she was rather relieved.

Despite my assurances that I would stay out of the way, while Ellie was delivering the children, I found myself holding Gwen's hand as she screamed and pushed. I had no idea what it must have sounded like to Arthur, but I was sure he was almost inconsolable with worry by now.

One by one, first a boy, then a girl, were born into the Pendragon family, amid much tears, screaming, and pain.

As I lay my hand across Gwen's stomach, the other still holding onto her, I quickly fixed a small internal bleed, then pronounced her perfectly fine. Then, one by one, the two small children were handed to Gwen.

"February 15th, 1:36 AM." Ellie announced, and with a small start, I realised that we had indeed worked through the whole of the evening.

With a small sigh I stood, wincing as I extracted my hand from Gwen's hand, realising, with a small amount of shock, that it now appeared to be broken, she had squeezed it so hard.

I slowly wobbled my way over to the door, out past Ellie, not having the energy to fix my hand quite yet, so cradling it close to my body instead.

As I made my way outside, carefully, it was to find Arthur the only one still awake, clearly too anxious to sleep. His head shot up sharply as I opened the door.

"All fine." I told him quietly as I opened the door, and he let out a big sigh of relief. I went over to sit beside him, and slid down the wall tiredly, still carefully cradling my hand.

"There was a small internal bleed, which I fixed, but apart from that, they're all three completely fine." I told him.

"What about you?" he asked me worriedly, obviously having caught my tiredness, and I smiled wryly.

"Rather tired, extraordinarily so, in fact, considering that I did almost nothing, and I think your wife broke my hand." I informed him, and he gasped.

"Can't you fix it?" he asked me, taking it carefully, apologising when I hissed slightly.

"No." I told him, yawning. "Too tired."

"Well, it's definitely broken." he told me, releasing it back to me carefully as I yawned again.

"Here, let me help you with that." Gwaine came up on the other side of me and took my hand carefully in his, sending a small burst of magic through it and fixing it." he'd obviously woken up during our conversation, and overheard what we'd been saying.

"Thanks." I yawned again, before reluctantly standing. Arthur looked at me questioningly.

"I want to go and check on Freya." I told him "She wasn't quite right earlier, I don't think, as much as she tried to hide it from me."

"Go." he told me, and I smiled at him gratefully, before making my way down the corridor slowly, in an attempt not to stumble.

Then, Gwaine gasped. "Merlin, your band!" he pointed out. I looked down at the druid wedding-band around my wrist, horrified to discover it had changed colour to a deep red, as if it had been dipped in blood.

Suddenly Gaius appeared at the end of the corridor, frantic. "Merlin!" he gasped, and instantly I was upright, all tiredness forgotten.

"Take me to her." I told him, and with a quick nod, we were heading back down the corridor.

"What's happened?" I asked him, and he shook his head, tight-lipped.

"I told he we should have told you." he half muttered, before turning to face me slightly, still moving quickly towards what I supposed where his chambers.

"Freya went into premature labour about 24 hours ago, but refused to tell you because she knew that Arthur would want you there for the twins' births. So instead, she came to me." I clenched my teeth.

"However…." he continued, and my head snapped to him again.

"However?" I asked him in a dangerous tone.

"However, there were some complications."

Immediately I sped up, leaving Gaius behind me. As I entered his chambers, I gasped. Freya was pale, lying in a cot in the centre of the room. Several blood-stained towels and cloths surrounded her. However, laid on her chest was the biggest surprise of all.

Our daughter, stirring feebly.

Instantly I was by her side, picking her up and cradling her to my chest with one hand instead. With my other I gently checked my wife's neck for a pulse, or something to reassure me.

Then I checked her wrist. Then the other one. Finally, her heart.

"NO!" I screamed. "NO! FREYA!"

There was no pulse. No rise and fall of the chest to reassure me. Nothing.

My wife was dead.

* * *

**AN - Dun Dun Duuuuuun! Come on guys, it's me! what did you expect!? there _was_**** a warning! **

**so i made merlin's views different again - do you think it worked?**

**please review guys! and i'll see you on Thurs! :D**

**-APP**


	2. Our Lives

**AN - *Peeks out cautiously from behind a large, conveniently placed rock* Er, hi guys! *ducks objects thrown* I know, I know, I'm so sorry! My laptop died literally just as i finished the chapter, and I couldn't get it fixed until the other day, when i discovered that i now had to re-write both the series plan, the the entire second chapter. Grr! nether the less, here it is, so see you at the bottom! :D**

* * *

_Merlin_

Immediately, I contact Arthur in my head

'_Arthur, get Ellie to come down to Gaius' chambers, now!'_

I cut out again before I could hear his reply. Gently, I placed our child back on Freya's chest, and then immediately went to work. I recognised when Gaius entered the room, but ignored his presence in favour of my dead wife.

I was pouring as much of myself as I could into her without killing myself, but it wasn't enough, I was getting weaker, but she wasn't getting better, nothing was happening. But I couldn't live if she didn't, not again, so I poured more and more into her, more than I should have, more than ever should have been possible, especially in my exhausted state.

I knew this might well kill me if I didn't stop, but right now, I didn't care. My wife lay dead in front of me, and I wasn't going to stop if there was even a chance I could do something to change that.

I noticed vaguely as two more people entered the room, heard their gasps, and then Ellie was next to me.

"Merlin." she said.

"Ellie. Help me."

Gently, she passed the child from Freya's chest to someone else - I wasn't sure who. Then, she worked with me, stopping the bleeding, healing the damage, trying to save her, even though most would say it was far too late, she was long gone by now, that we couldn't do anything for her….

Eventually, I felt Gaius' hand on my shoulder. "Merlin…" he murmured.

"No." I told him resolutely.

"Merlin, you're killing yourself."

"I don't care."

"Merlin." Gwaine's voice came from near the door. It had been he whom had entered with Ellie. He stood there, now, cradling my daughter, a sad look on his face.

"No." I whispered again, even as I moved my hand from her arm. "No…"

As I slumped over my dead wife, distraught, fat tears began to run from my eyes, falling, landing on her face and neck.

Gently, I leant down and kissed her one more time.

As I did so, I felt a spark jump between us, and then suddenly she gasped, and her chest began to move frantically. I sat back in my chair, stunned, as she opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Merlin?" was all it took before I was in her arms, sobbing.

"Don't you dare." I mumbled through my sobs into her hair. "Don't you dare leave me alone, not again."

"I won't, Merlin." she whispered reassuringly to me in return. "I promise."

* * *

"But…how?"

Arthur and Gwaine may have become accustomed to the madness that constantly surrounded me at all times by now, but it appeared that Leon and Percival hadn't quite, even if the latter was less vocal in his confusion, leant against the wall next to Gwaine, who until recently had still been holding our sleeping child. Ellie had her now, and Freya had fallen asleep with my arm round her, so I was sat there with still, not that I was complaining or anything. Leon was sat nearby, confused, while Gaius had gone to check on the twins. We spoke in hushed tones so as to try and not wake me wife.

"I don't know, Leon." I told him again. "It was my magic, and our love, but I don't know how, _or_ why."

"Right."

A small pause.

"But I don't understand _how_…"

"Leon!" surprisingly Gwaine and Percival joined me this time, and the knight sighed again.

"I'm sorry, Merlin." he mumbled.

"I know." I told him. "I don't understand it either. None of us do."

Another pause.

"Arthur's coming." I told them, and we straightened themselves up as much as we could, which in my case, really wasn't that much at all.

He entered, smiling slightly, which quickly faded when he saw our expressions.

"Merlin?" he asked me. "What…..?"

"Freya." I told him around the lump in my throat. "She…she…." I took a breath. "She…d..died , Arthur."

His eyes went immediately to Freya. "But…"

She chose that moment to stir, and immediate all of my attention was back on her.

"Hey." I murmured when she opened her eyes, and she smiled at me.

"Hey yourself." she told me. She straightened up from where she had slumped into me, and I did like wise. Suddenly, her eyes went wide, and she began looking frantically.

"Merlin! Merlin where are they! Merlin, where is our child….!"

"Relax." I told her. "She's just there. Ellie has her."

She turned in slight confusion to face the woman, who smiled and held our daughter out towards her. I stood up and took her, before sitting down next-to my wife and handing her to her.

"A girl." I breathed, and she smiled so brightly that she put the sun to shame.

"Our baby girl."

Behind us, Arthur snorted. "Oh, you're going t be right wrapped her finger Merlin, I can tell that now!" he laughed.

I looked up at him. "Oh, because you're going to be any better?" I asked him, and we both laughed.

"Okay," Gaius interrupted our sparring. "I think we should leave the two of them in peace. Come on - out! Don't you have your own children to be with, anyway, Arthur?" he asked, as our family, grumbling slightly, made the way out of Gaius' chambers. He shut the door firmly behind them.

"Congratulations, you two." he told us. "I'll be in the back room if you need me."

With that, he left us on our own.

I smiled at my wife.

"I love you both so much." I told her, and she smiled back at me.

"Not as much as I do."

* * *

"So have you thought of any names yet?"

We were now all sat in my rooms, it being a few days since the births. Freya was still on a strict rest regime, so she lay on one extended-chair-thing (which I really needed to name at some point), while I sat next to her at her head, our child asleep on her chest. Arthur and Gwen were sat on the other, while the rest of our family just sat wherever they could.

"We've got a couple, but nothing definite yet." Freya smiled, looking up at me. "We're still deciding."

Arthur smiled, too. He and Gwen were both holding a child. "We're a little stuck for him, but for her, we've decided."

"On?" I asked, curious, and he smiled again.

"Ah, but that would be telling. No-one will know until we tell the people."

"Well then, we won't tell you when we've decided, either!" I stuck my tongue out at the King childishly, and everyone laughed as Freya hit me lightly over the back of the head.

"Aw, came on Arthur!" Gwaine wheedled. "That's not very fair. We are your family after all!"

But he refused to budge even an inch.

* * *

"…but come on, Arthur, _PLEASE!_"

"Gwaine!"

"Fine, fine!"

* * *

"Ar_thur!_"

"Gw_aine!"_

* * *

"…but."

"No, Gwaine!"

"Whatever." Gwaine sulked.

* * *

"So…"

"For Gods sake, Gwaine, you really act like a petulant child sometimes!"

"…So will you tell me?"

"Yes."

"What, really?"

"Yes really….at the same time we tell everyone else."

"But _Arthuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur..."_

"I swear, I will banish you again!"

* * *

Gwaine wisely stopped guessing after that.

* * *

"As many of you will have noticed," Arthur began, stood on the balcony, addressing his people, the rest of us stood behind him somewhat. " There has been a little disruption to the normal routines of Camelot over the last week. As some of you may have guessed, there is a very special reason for this." He paused for dramatic effect.

"The royal heirs of Camelot have been born!" There was a roar of support from the crowd, followed by much cheering. After a few minutes, he held up his hands for silence.

"Last Saturday, the 15th of February, my beautiful wife Guinevere birthed us both a baby boy and a baby girl. She was aided by both our midwife, and our Court Sorcerer, Merlin. In fact, he was so busy helping us, that he did not know that at that very moment, his own wife was giving birth herself, gifting them both a baby girl at the very end of last Friday, the 14th. Congratulations to them, too.

There were more cheers throughout this speech as the four of us stepped forward, carrying our children carefully.

"Therefore, it is without further ado, that the four of us reveal the names of our three children to everyone hereby present, and we really mean everyone, because even with Sir Gwaine's incessant whining, we still haven't told anyone what they are yet."

Arthur paused, once more, for dramatically effect, before Gwen got fed up and stepped forward.

"Our daughter is hereby called Eleanor Susanna Pendragon, and we request that Merlin and Freya Ambrosias agree to be her godparents." She looked at me as I stared at the two of them, shocked.

It took me a minute to finally say "We two accept, and are deeply honoured", with my family smirking at us all the while.

Arthur spoke again now; "Our Son and Heir is hereby called Daither Thrain Pendragon, and we request that Gwaine Ambrosias and Percival Movent agree to be his godparents."

It was their turn to be shocked, but they quickly stepped forward and agreed.

It was now our turn, and I looked to my wife before turning to face the crowds.

"Our daughter is hereby called Daisy Rowena Ambrosias, and we request that Arthur and Guinevere Pendragon agree to be her godparents."

"We two accept, and are greatly honoured."

With that, amid cheers, we re-entered the castle.

"So…was that it? All that waiting for six names?" Gwaine asked somewhat grumpily, and we all burst into laughter. These were our lives, and now there were new lives, and none of it would ever alter the livelihood of our castle.

Our Camelot.

* * *

**AN - so...what do you think!? Did i choose good names? was it worth the wait? **

**i actully don't know what's gonna come next in the series. I have ideas of several things i want to happen at some point, but...what do you want to see? Is it even worth me keeping going? are people still interested in reading this? please let me know! :D **

**-APP**


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